Category: Superbikes

1. Camier and Gagne in the points at Magny-Cours

   Posted on 4:00pm Saturday 29th Sep 2018

   The Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team came away from Race 1 at Magny-Cours with a double points finish after Leon Camier claimed eleventh place, with Jake Gagne close behind in thirteenth position.
   Earlier in the day, both riders showed improved pace from yesterday with Camier topping Superpole 1, with Gagne only a few tenths behind in P4. Camier would ultimately qualify in eleventh place for Race 1 with a best time of 1’37.398 in Superpole 2.
   Starting from eleventh and fourteenth on the grid respectively for Race 1, Camier and Gagne managed to make up places in the opening lap, both riders finding themselves in the fight for the top ten in the early stages.
   Unfortunately for Camier, he had a moment after Rinaldi crashed on the third lap, losing a couple of seconds which cost him several positions. Despite improving his pace after this setback, eleventh place was the the British rider could manage on the day.
   Gagne was able to lap at a similar to his teammate for long periods in the race, before a lack of grip caused him to slow in the final few laps, with the American crossing the finish line in thirteenth place.
   After today’s race, Camier moves to 95 championship points and is thirteenth in the championship standings, while Gagne is in seventeeth place in the riders championship on 51 points.
   The riders will be looking to challenge for a top ten place in Race 2 tomorrow which starts at 1515 local time (GMT +2).

2. Honda and Ducati Bringing the MotoGP Tussle to the Boil

   Posted on 9:00am Thursday 27th Sep 2018

   The 2018 MotoGP season is drawing ever closer and with just five races to go, the battle between Honda and Ducati looks set to go all the way.

   After Spaniard Marc Márquez took victory on his Honda at the weekends Aragon motorcycle Grand Prix, the gap at the top of the riders championship stretched to 72 points over rival and Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso.

   With just a maximum of 125 points still available for winning the final five races, it means barring an almighty collapse from the 25-year-old Spaniard, that particular championship is all but a done deal.

   However, not so the factory team battle, as old rivals Honda and Ducati are duking it out across the globe’s fastest patches of tarmac in a tense fight for the right to be called the number one manufacturer in bikes.

   As it stands, Ducati trail Honda by just 28-points in the standings as Ducati seek only their second ever MotoGP constructors title whilst Honda are out to bag their 24th title and seventh of the decade so far.

   Much like in MotoGP’s brother Formula One in which the fight between Mercedes and Ferrari dominance is set to go to the wire with Mercedes priced at 1/4 as of Tuesday 25th September with Betway to become champions, it appears the form sides in both series are edging the betting markets and fancied to take the ultimate crown.

   Ducati have been kept in the hunt largely thanks to Italian Andrea Dovizioso who has taken three wins and Jorge Lorenzo who has three of his own.

   Aside from the dominant Marc Márquez, Honda’s next highest championship standing rider is Britain’s Cal Crutchlow who took victory at the seasons second event in Argentina after Dovizioso took victory in the opening race on his Ducati but Crutchlow is on the LCR Honda and not a factory rider meaning his points are null and void.

   From there, a series of retirements for Dovizioso seriously hampered his and Ducati’s chances of the title but thanks to consistent performance from Lorenzo and a series of wins from Italian Dovizioso, the title fight is back on.

   Largely thanks to the retiring Dani Pedrosa who is Marquez’s team mate and has struggled to make an impact all season which has opened the door for Ducati. 

   A tepid start saw the Spaniard finish seventh in the season opener before retiring in his second outing and another seventh at the third race of the season in the USA. In fact, Pedrosa hasn't finished higher than fifth in the entire season. 
   
   
   

   A series of 6th, 7th and 8th place finishes may have kept the points flowing steadily, but had the 32-year-old been anywhere near the top of his game, then it is likely the championship would have been all but settled by now.

   Bike Specifications

   One of the best things about MotoGP is its competitiveness and this comes down to the specifications of the competing bikes.

   All engines are 1000cc and naturally aspirated and churn out 260 BHP with a power to weight ratio of 1.51 bhp/kg. The valve train benefits from four-valves per cylinder and are fuelled using unleaded 100 octane.

   All bikes are set to this specification with very few tweaks to performance being able to be made but it is in the tyres and how each bike reacts to the chosen tyres that is often the big difference.

   For example, at the last outing at Aragon, championship leader Marc Márquez opted for the softer tyre which is quicker but does not have quite the same lifespan as say the harder tyre which most of his competitors chose.

   However, after Lorenzo crashed out on the opening lap, Marquez was able to follow Dovizioso for numerous laps and thus save his tyres before late surge saw the four-time World Champion get ahead and thus strike a blow to the Ducati cause.

   Can Ducati Topple Honda?

   Yes, they certainly can but it will require team work from both lead Ducati riders Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo.

   It has been three races now since Lorenzo even so much as picked up a point (including the cancelled British GP due to rain), when he won in Austria. 

   

   A 17th-place finish and a retirement last time out has hurt the factory Ducati team and Honda has taken advantage picking up 36 points last time out to Ducati’s 20.

   Where to Next?

   A series of races in Asia and Australasia all but ends the season with the finale occurring back on Spanish soil.

   The riders head to Thailand next for a race that promises to be a step into the unknown with Ducati well aware that time is fast running out. 

    

   
   
   article supplied

3. AFTER THE POSITIVE TEST IN MISANO, APRILIA PREPARES TO TAKE ON THE SILVERSTONE RACE

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 23rd Aug 2018

   The historic Silverstone circuit in England will host the 12th round of the 2018 MotoGP season. With its 5,891 metres, the English track is the longest one on the calendar and it has recently been completely resurfaced. This means that the teams and riders will begin their work with an assessment of the new surface in terms of grip and tyre wear. All with one eye on the weather forecast, which is always a point of concern when on the other side of the English Channel.

   Aprilia Racing Team Gresini heads to Silverstone after a profitable day of private testing in Misano, where some engine and chassis upgrades were tested which will be useful in the rest of the season.
   
   ALEIX ESPARGARO'
   "The Misano test was fundamental for our season and for the future of the project. I suffered last year at Silverstone. I had just come from a very painful injury that compromised the entire weekend. This year I am at 100% and I really want to do well. I hope that the new asphalt solved some of the problems with the bumps on the track and that the weather will be stable."
   
   SCOTT REDDING
   "The home race always has a special flavour. The warmth of the fans and the location are something quite unique. Last year I rode a good race here. We'll have to assess the new asphalt to see about grip and aggressiveness on the tyres. We need to work with precision, session after session, in order to be as ready as possible for the race. We are coming from a good test in Misano which has boosted our confidence."

4. ALEIX ESPARGARÓ STRUGGLES BUT, CLAWING HIS WAY BACK FROM 24TH AT THE START, RIDES HIS RS-GP INTO THE POINTS

   Posted on 5:00pm Sunday 5th Aug 2018

   SCOTT REDDING CRASHES ON THE FIFTH LAP
   
   The Brno MotoGP race did not entirely reward the efforts of Aleix Espargaró, starting twenty-fourth on the grid and fifteenth across the finish line, but not as incisive as he would have liked. The high temperatures of the Czech track convinced both riders (Aleix and Scott alike) to choose the hard Michelin option on the front and on the rear, a combination that did not give Espargaró the right feeling.

   Teammate Scott Redding also complained from the beginning of a certain difficulty braking, despite a good start and some early overtaking in the initial stages of the race. During the fifth lap, while lying sixteenth (he had started twenty-fifth), a loss of grip at the front led to him crashing and consequently retiring from the race.
   
   ALEIX ESPARGARO
   
   "It was not a good weekend for us, to be honest. I did not expect all of these difficulties. The RS-GP performed differently compared to last year, especially in terms of the front end. When I go into corners and release the brakes, I struggle to turn and if I push, I risk crashing. We could have risked using a softer tyre, but in the end the team opted for the more conservative solution. All things told, I think that it could have been a good choice, but decisions are taken as a team, for better or for worse. Tomorrow we have an important day of tests. I am rather tired and sore, but I want to try to change the balance of the bike significantly to recover the right feeling with the Aprilia."
   
   SCOTT REDDING
   
   "Unfortunately, today's crash was very similar to yesterday's. We were at the limit with the hard front tyre, especially when I fwas riding by myself. In fact, in the early laps I was able to be rather aggressive, overtaking a few riders, but then I began to lose the feeling, especially when I released the brakes, until the crash. It seems like with this bike, the front tyre's range of use is rather restricted. As soon as you go out of the ideal window, problems begin. I could have settled for finishing the race, but I decided to have a go anyway, pushing to the maximum."

5. MAX BIAGGI BECOMES A GLOBAL AMBASSADOR FOR APRILIA

   Posted on 5:00pm Thursday 2nd Aug 2018

   THE RETURN OF A PAIRING THAT HAS WRITTEN MEMORABLE PAGES OF MOTORCYCLE HISTORY

   THE SIX-TIME WORLD CHAMPION WILL REPRESENT APRILIA, COLLABORATING TO PROMOTE THE BRAND, ITS RACING TRADITION AND ITS PRODUCTS
   
   Six-time world champion Max Biaggi is to be a global ambassador for the Aprilia brand, a role that he will have no trouble adapting to, given the many chapters of racing history that Max and Aprilia have written together, but one that is now made official.

   Thanks to the countless victories scored on board the Noale manufacturer’s bikes, Max Biaggi has contributed like no other to projecting the Aprilia brand to the top of the world. His story, one of great passion, talent and a love for the work, has helped Aprilia to become one of the most successful manufacturers in the history of motorcycling racing, with a currently back catalogue of 54 world titles to its name.

   Max Biaggi is the ideal ambassador then, embodying that Aprilia sporting DNA, but that is not all, as the Italian champion will also make an important contribution as Aprilia takes on the many challenges that lie ahead, offering his experience to promote thebrand, its racing tradition and its products.
   
   MAX BIAGGI
   
   “At what is a very important time for Aprilia, our stories will once again intertwine. As an enthusiast, I’ve been able to appreciate the progress of the MotoGP project which shows very interesting potential. I’m now proud – and confident – to be able to offer my experience in supporting an all-Italian brand as it continues to grow, both in terms of its racing spirit and its new products that will, as ever, have boast of that Aprilia racing character.”
   
   Max Biaggi made his debut in the 250 world championship with Aprilia in 1991. The 250 title in 1994 was the first of an exceptional hat-trick that saw him dominate on the Italian bike up until 1996. The paths of Aprilia and Max (who in the meantime scored another world title in the 250 class) then separated until 2009, when Biaggi climbed on board the Aprilia RSV4 as the Noale manufacturer made a return to the Superbike World Championship.

   Aprilia had never won the WSBK title but aimed to do just that with the futuristic RSV4. Its attempt to succeed in the series reserved to high-performance four strokes proved successful and Max rode the Italian V4 to victory in its debut season before dominating in 2010 and 2012, earning both the Riders and Manufacturers titles. He retired from racing following his 2012 title win, having achieved six world titles in all throughout his career, but the call of the track saw him make a brief return in 2015. Entered as a wildcard in the Malaysian round of the WorldSBK, he scored an incredible podium at the Sepang track, confirming, at 44 years of age, both his talent as a champion and the competitiveness of the Aprilia RSV4 project.